GILGIT: After an Everest expedition team abandoned its mission to conquer the highest peak in the world in winter due to inclement weather, a Russian member of a Polish expedition trying to climb K2 for the first time in winter has broken away from the group and set out alone from the base camp to summit the second highest peak in the world.

The press office of the Polish team said that Denis Urubko had left the base camp on Sunday morning. It said this shocking act of Mr Urubko was his own initiative and he did not even inform the management of the expedition.

Earlier Mr Urubko had criticised the expedition management over opting for the Basque route and slow pace of the action and expressed his opinion that winter would end on Feb 28 while the team believed it had time till March 20.

It is doubtful whether Mr Urubko would be able to accomplish the herculean task alone as he may face many challenges ahead, including body status and bad weather.

He wrote in his last blog: “My body is emaciated. There is still energy in the muscles for a final attempt towards the summit, but it is an energy that does not warm me up.”

The expedition management certainly would not be happy about this as the expedition is working according to the plans which foresee a summit attempt early next month.

Everest expedition team abandons attempt due to harsh weather

The Polish media said no contact with Mr Urubko had been established. He is expected to spend the night at camp 1 or above without a radio.

On Feb 9, Adam Bielecki and Rafal Fronia, members of the Polish expedition, were hit by a large stone while climbing from K2 base camp to camp 2. Later, Mr Fronia returned to Poland for treatment of his fractured arm while Mr Adam decided to continue the mission despite having six stitches on his nose.

The Russian media said Mr Urubko had asked Mr Bielecki to accompany him but the latter refused saying he had not recovered enough to withstand another exit and that they should wait for good weather to undertake the ascent.

Mr Bielecki said in his latest message that he was very worried about the lone climber.

The Polish team spokesman Michal Rodak said in a tweet they had no radio communication with Mr Urubko.

Mr Fronia, commenting on the decision of Mr Urubko, said: “Denis Urubko is the best climber I know. He is extremely determined and experienced. When he saw that there was no chance of a team ascent, he made his own decision. There was no approval for such a plan by the leaders.”

Karar Haidari, information secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, recalled that last month Mr Bielecki and Mr Urubko had broken away

from their team to rescue missing French mountaineer Elisabeth Revol and her Polish partner Tomasz Mackiewicz, at Nanga Parbat, causing a delay in the Polish team’s mission to summit K2.

Mr Haidari said it was highly risky on Mr Urubko’s part to embark upon the solo mission as at least two climbers were necessary for the climb.

Meanwhile, two members of an expedition team — Pakistani climber Muhammad Ali Sadpara and Polish climber Alex Txikon, along with five Nepalese Sherpas — attempting to climb Everest in winter without bottled oxygen have abandoned their mission and returned to the base camp following inclement weather at camp 4.

The team ascended Camp 4 on Satur­day when they were hit by strong winds.

It was expected that the team will climb the peak early Sunday morning, but the anticipated window never developed as strong winds compelled the team to return to the base camp.

Mr Txikon said in a tweet that wind was blowing at a speed of 70km per hour at higher camps and 100km per hour at the top. “We must descend now in order not to lose our fingers and to survive. It is too dangerous.”

Mr Sadpara said in a tweet: “We are back at base camp from Camp 4. Very strong winds and lethal weather made it almost impossible to go for the summit.”

The team’s permit to ascend the summit will expire at the end of this month but it is likely to be extended. The team is considering their next course of action at the base camp.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2018